unsteeled
Left emotionally vulnerable
Unsteeled describes someone whose resolve or emotional defenses have been weakened or removed.
Where to steel oneself is to harden against difficulty or emotion, to be unsteeled is to lose that protection: The letter from his daughter unsteeled him completely.
The word suggests vulnerability restored—armor stripped away, leaving someone exposed to feeling what they had braced against.
Not yet prepared
- ill-equippedLacking necessary preparation
- untrainedLacking learned skills
- inexperiencedLacking practical knowledge
- greenColor of vegetation
raw · unseasoned · unpracticed · unschooled · uninitiated · rookie · unpolished · untested
Out in open
- defenselessWithout means to resist
- fragileEasily broken or damaged
- susceptibleEasily influenced or harmed
- unprotectedWithout safeguard or shield
unshielded · unguarded · unarmored · open · helpless · assailable · penetrable · weakened
Slow to act
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- uncertainNot firmly known
- vacillatingSwaying between choices
- indecisiveUnable to make choices
noncommittal · undecided · dithering · unsure · ambivalent · faltering · tentative · wishy-washy
Lacking courage or confidence
- faintheartedCowardly, easily discouraged
- spinelessLacking courage or resolve
- meekHumbly unassertive
- cravenContemptibly lacking nerve
gutless · weak-kneed · lily-livered · shrinking · pusillanimous · chicken-hearted · mousy · unnerved
Uneasy and apprehensive
- apprehensiveFearful of future events
- fearfulFull of fright
- jitteryAnxiously restless
- uneasyTroubled, not calm
panicky · stressed · overwhelmed · distressed · on edge · rattled · unnerved · shaken
unready
Not yet prepared
- ill-equippedLacking necessary preparation
- untrainedLacking learned skills
- inexperiencedLacking practical knowledge
green · raw · unseasoned · unpracticed · unschooled · uninitiated · rookie · unpolished · untested · untempered
exposed
Out in open
- defenselessWithout means to resist
- fragileEasily broken or damaged
- susceptibleEasily influenced or harmed
unprotected · unshielded · unguarded · unarmored · open · helpless · assailable · penetrable · weakened · at risk
hesitant
Slow to act
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- uncertainNot firmly known
- vacillatingSwaying between choices
indecisive · noncommittal · undecided · dithering · unsure · ambivalent · faltering · tentative · wishy-washy · half-hearted
timid
Lacking courage or confidence
- faintheartedCowardly, easily discouraged
- spinelessLacking courage or resolve
- meekHumbly unassertive
craven · gutless · weak-kneed · lily-livered · shrinking · pusillanimous · chicken-hearted · mousy · unnerved · cowering
nervous
Uneasy and apprehensive
- apprehensiveFearful of future events
- fearfulFull of fright
- jitteryAnxiously restless
uneasy · panicky · stressed · overwhelmed · distressed · on edge · rattled · unnerved · shaken · agitated
unsteeledbattle-ready
Prepared for armed conflict
steeled · combat-ready · armed · fortified · primed
steel, stainless, steely, high-speed steel, steeled, steels, steeling, steelworks, steelworker